Department for Transport

M1

Sir Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when the M1 motorway between London and junction 32 will next be free of roadworks and lane closures.

Jesse Norman: Highways England report that they are making good progress upgrading most sections of the M1 between London and Sheffield (Junctions 32-35) to smart motorway status. Work has been completed on upgrading the M1 from London (Junction 6) to Milton Keynes (Junction 13) and from Nottingham (Junction 25) to east of Sheffield (Junction 32). This is adding important new capacity to help relieve congestion, providing drivers with quicker and more reliable journeys. Upgrades to the M1 in the Midlands are currently taking place and together with improvements to the section in the East of England these works are expected to be completed in stages from 2018/19 through to 2021/22. The Department for Transport and Highways England are in the process of determining the improvement plans for the next Road Investment Strategy period (2020-2025). Alongside major upgrade schemes, Highways England are under a continuing obligation to carry out essential maintenance on all sections of the M1 from time to time to ensure it remains safe and in good condition for drivers to use. Highways England undertake as much of their maintenance work as they can at night when the road is less busy to minimise the impact on drivers.

Motorways: Road Traffic Control

Sir Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to ensure that smart motorways, when activated, react more speedily to changing traffic conditions to avoid motorists being subject to unnecessary lower speed limits when the traffic conditions have changed for the better; and if he will make a statement.

Jesse Norman: Variable speed limits on smart motorways have been proven to smooth traffic flow during busy periods and in the event of an incident. The speed limits are set automatically in real time by a system that is tuned to match local traffic patterns. When congestion starts to build up, reduced speed limits are set in time to help prevent stop-start conditions. Drivers may not see what caused the lower speed limit, and the system clears these restrictions as soon as they are no longer needed. The technology on smart motorways has been updated to improve performance and is regularly monitored, with adjustments made to speed limit thresholds where necessary. Highways England’s Regional Control Centre operators have full CCTV coverage of smart motorways and can manually set or override the system if required.

Home Office

Cycling: Pedestrian Areas

Sir Hugo Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 7 December 2017 to Question 116256, what discussions she has had with police authorities on improving the effectiveness of enforcing the law against cycling on pavements.

Mr Nick  Hurd: Enforcement of law is an operational matter for Chief Officers of police, in line with priorities set by Police and Crime Commissioners in their Police and Crime Plan.

Alternatives to Prosecution: Females

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many women were given out-of-court disposals in each of the last five whole reporting years, broken down by nationality of offender and type of disposal for each nationality.

Mr Nick  Hurd: The information requested is not held centrally. The Home Office collects and publishes data on the number of crimes recorded by the police in England and Wales resulting in an out of court disposal. It is not possible to tell from these data the number of offenders there were (one crime could have more than one offender) or their gender or nationality of the offender. Information on offenders is the responsibility of the Ministry of Justice. Information on the number of offences recorded by the police resulting in an out of court disposal published by the Home Office and can be found here:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/crime-outcomes-in-england-and-wales-year-to-june-2017-data-tables

Firearms: Licensing

Sir Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether he has any plans to introduce gun licensing for air guns similar to that in force in Northern Ireland and Scotland; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Nick  Hurd: The Home Office has commenced a review of the regulation of air weapons in England and Wales, and we have asked for the views of a number of interested parties on this. We have also asked that anybody who wishes to share their views on this issue with us do so by 6 February 2018.This review will take account of the arrangements in Scotland and Northern Ireland where air weapons are subject to a licensing regime, and we will also be looking at issues such as manufacturing standards, secure storage and whether current arrangements are sufficient to prevent children gaining access to air weapons. We will publish the outcome of the review in due course.

Crime: Police

Ms Nadine Dorries: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, which police forces in England have the (a) highest and (b) lowest ratio of crimes per police officer.

Mr Nick  Hurd: The Home Office collects and publishes information which can be used to calculate the ratio of crimes per police officer for police forces in EnglandThe Home Office collects and publishes data on the number of crimes recorded by the police in England and Wales. These data are published quarterly, and the latest update for the year to June 2017 can be accessed here: https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/crimeandjustice/datasets/recordedcrimedataatpoliceforcearealevelincludingpivottableThe Home Office collects and publishes statistics on the number of police officers employed by each police force in England and Wales on a bi-annual basis. These data are published in the ‘Police workforce, England and Wales’ statistical bulletins, which can be accessed here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/police-workforce-england-and-wales-31-march-2017

Police

Ms Nadine Dorries: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the number of police officers per capita was in (a) England and Wales, (b) London, (c) the East of England and (d) Bedfordshire in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

Ms Nadine Dorries: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, which police forces in England have the (a) highest and (b) lowest ratio of police officers per capita of the areas they serve.

Mr Nick  Hurd: The Home Office collects and publishes statistics on the number of police officers employed by each police force in England and Wales on a bi-annual basis. These data are published in the ‘Police workforce, England and Wales’ statistical bulletins, which can be accessed here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/police-workforce-england-and-wales-31-march-2017Table H4 of the accompanying data tables contains information on the number of police officers per capita, by police force area. Data as at 31 March 2017 can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/629865/police-workforce-tabs-jul17.odsData for previous years can be found in the relevant year’s release by following the first link.Figures are on a full-time equivalent basis, whereby an employee who works 70% of normal hours is counted as 0.7.

Bedfordshire Police

Ms Nadine Dorries: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment his Department has made of the potential for increased demands on Bedfordshire Police due to the expansion of Luton Airport; and whether that assessment is reflected in the Police Funding Formula.

Ms Nadine Dorries: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment his Department has made of the potential change in demands on Bedfordshire Police due to changes in the level of rural crime; and whether that assessment is reflected in the Police Funding Formula.

Ms Nadine Dorries: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of the Police Funding Formula in recognising the diversity of the crime demands facing different police forces in England and Wales; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Nick  Hurd: The 2018/19 settlement follows a period of engagement, with the Minister for Policing and Fire speaking to every force in England and Wales about the demand they face. There are significant demands on the police from the terrorist threat and from more victims of high harm, hidden crimes such as modern slavery and child sexual exploitation coming forward.This is a strong and comprehensive settlement that will increase funding by up to £450m across the police system for 2018/19. This includes the flexibility for PCCs to increase their funding by up to £270m, which they can use to spend on local priorities. In 2018/19, if the PCC uses their precept flexibility, Bedfordshire will receive £104.3m in direct resource funding, an annual increase of £2.9m. This is £4.8m more than 2015/16.The Government intends to maintain the protection of a broadly flat police grant in 2019/20 and repeat the same precept flexibility if the police deliver clear and substantial progress on productivity and efficiency. In this context, it is intended that the funding formula will be revisited at the next Spending Review.

Bedfordshire Police

Ms Nadine Dorries: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment his Department has made of the changes in the demands placed on Bedfordshire Police due to counter-terrorism operations; and whether that assessment is reflected in the Police Funding Formula.

Mr Nick  Hurd: The Government provides ring-fenced funding for counter-terrorism policing. We recognise the pressures on policing following the recent attacks and are in regular dialogue with policing, including National Counter-Terrorism Policing Headquarters (NCTPHQ), Chief Constables and Police and Crime Commissioners to ensure the right powers, capabilities and resources are in place to deal with the threat we face. That is why we have announced that the counter-terrorism policing budget will go up by 7%, increasing by £50m from £707m this year to at least £757 million in 2018/19.This Government also provided an additional £24m to CT policing this year to meet the costs relating to the recent terror attacks.We have announced that the funding formula, which distributes core grant funding will be looked at again during the next Spending Review.

Airguns: Licensing

Martyn Day: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the recently announced air weapons review in England and Wales, if he will seek the views of (a) Police Scotland, (b) Police Service of Northern Ireland, (c) the Scottish Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and (d) animal welfare officers in local councils in Northern Ireland on the effects of their respective air gun licensing legislation on reported incidents of air weapons attacks on people and pets.

Mr Nick  Hurd: The Home Office has commenced a review of the regulation of air weapons in England and Wales, and we have asked for the views of interested parties on this. We have also asked that anybody who wishes to share their views on this issue with us do so by 6 February 2018.The review will take account of the arrangements in Scotland and Northern Ireland where air weapons are subject to a licensing regime. We will therefore be seeking the views of both Police Scotland and the Police Service of Northern Ireland. We have not sought the views of the Scottish Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals or animal welfare officers in local councils in Northern Ireland, although it is open to them to write to us about this review.

HM Treasury

Payments: EU Law

Daniel Zeichner: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if it remains his policy to implement the Second Payment Services Directive after the UK has left the EU.

Stephen Barclay: The Second Payments Services Directive will play a transformative role in financial services by empowering consumers to take control of their data, creating a level playing field between payment providers, increasing the choice, efficiency, transparency and security of retail payments; and facilitating the provision of innovative card, internet and mobile payment services across all retail payments for consumers. Legislation transposing PSD2 has already been laid in Parliament, and comes into effect on the 13 January 2018, before we leave the EU.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Carbon Emissions

Sir Vince Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what discussions he has had with the Committee on Climate Change on the cost and feasibility of delivering the Clean Growth Strategy.

Claire Perry: Officials hold regular discussions with the Committee on Climate Change on the delivery of the Clean Growth Strategy and related policies.

Better Regulation Executive

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what the performance indicators are for the Better Regulation Executive.

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what regulations the Better Regulation Executive has identified for (a) revocation and (b) amendment in order to reduce burdens on business.

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether the one-in-two-out approach to regulatory costs is still being applied by the Government.

Margot James: The Small Business, Enterprise and Employment Act 2015 requires the Government to publish a target to monitor the economic impact on business of certain changes to regulation. The target will apply for the duration of this Parliament and must be set by June 2018.The target will inform the approach taken by the Better Regulation Executive to regulatory reform in this Parliament, including any relevant performance indicators.

Bereavement Leave

Martyn Day: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will make it his policy to bring forward a mandatory minimum period of bereavement leave for workers who have experienced the death of a close relative.

Margot James: The Government recognises that the loss of a close family member is deeply distressing. Acas has published guidance for employers on supporting bereaved colleagues and managing grief in the workplace, which was developed in partnership with Cruse Bereavement Care and others. The Government is clear that it expects all managers to act with the sensitivity and flexibility deserved at such a difficult time. In addition, in view of the commitment in the Conservative Party manifesto, the Government is supporting the Private Member’s Bill brought forward by my hon Friend the Member for Thirsk and Malton (Kevin Hollinrake) to introduce a new statutory paid leave entitlement for employees who suffer the bereavement of a child.

Electrical Safety

Alex Chalk: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps his Department is taking to ensure electrical chargers comply with regulatory standards.

Margot James: Electrical chargers must comply with the Electrical Equipment (Safety) Regulations which require manufacturers to only put safe products on the market. These Regulations are primarily enforced by Local Authority Trading Standards. The Government is now considering a recommendation made by the Working Group on Product Recalls and Safety to provide more central capacity to support consumers on product safety, including with regard to electrical products, and we will respond to that recommendation in due course.

Standardisation: EU Law

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether the United Kingdom will remain a member of the European Committee on Standardisation after we leave the EU.

Margot James: The British Standards Institution (BSI) is the UK’s National Standards Body and it is a member of the European Committee for Standardization (CEN). BSI and CEN are independent of the UK Government and European Union, respectively. BSI has made clear its preference to remain a member of CEN. We are working with BSI to ensure that the UK’s future relationship with the European Standards Organisations, including CEN, continues to support a productive, open and competitive business environment in the UK.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

China: Human Rights

Rosie Cooper: What recent discussions he has had with his Chinese counterpart on the protection of human rights in that country.

Mark Field: The Foreign Secretary issued a statement about the death of Nobel Laureate Liu Xiaobo in July 2017, and called on China to lift restrictions on his widow Liu Xia. I raised human rights, including the case of Liu Xia, in my meeting with Vice Foreign Minister Wang Chao the following month.At the most recent UK-China Strategic Dialogue in December 2016, the Foreign Secretary raised a range of human rights issues with his counterpart State Counsellor Yang Jiechi. The most recent UK-China Human Rights Dialogue, covering human rights issues in detail, took place in Beijing on 27 and 28 June 2017.

USA: State Visits

Gavin Newlands: What recent discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on President Trump’s proposed state visit to the UK.

Boris Johnson: The Government’s position on the visit remains clear. An invitation for the President to visit the UK has been extended and accepted. Ministers and officials in both countries regularly engage with one another on the full range of issues. The precise timing and programme of a visit are yet to be finalised.

Poland: Diplomatic Relations

Chris Green: What recent assessment he has made of diplomatic relations with Poland.

Sir Alan Duncan: British-Polish relations are extremely strong. As the Prime Minister said during the recent second Intergovernmental Consultations (IGC) in Warsaw, “Our annual dialogue demonstrates the common ground we share, the importance we attach to our bilateral relationship, and the benefits it brings.”

Oman: Diplomatic Relations

Edward Argar: What recent assessment he has made of diplomatic relations with Oman.

Sir Alan Duncan: 2017 was a very positive year for UK-Oman relations. As the Foreign Secretary made clear on his visit in December, Oman is a friend and a longstanding British ally with shared interests across diplomatic, economic and security matters. We are working more closely than ever across these fields.

Terrorism

Andrew Bowie: What steps he is taking with his international counterparts to tackle Islamist terrorism globally.

Alistair Burt: Tackling terrorism, including Islamist terrorism, is a global endeavour. We are working with allies bilaterally and in multilateral fora to weaken the drivers of terrorism, degrade terrorist organisations, illuminate and disrupt attacks and protect and mitigate against the impact of attacks against UK interests and those of our allies.

Department for Exiting the European Union

Department for Exiting the European Union: Brexit

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, whether his Department (a) has drafted or (b) is drafting a market access commission on the implications of the withdrawal of the UK from the EU.

Mr Steve Baker: We are undertaking a comprehensive programme of work looking at the implications of UK withdrawal from the EU. The Department for Exiting the European Union is working with other Government departments to examine all areas of the UK economy, seeking input from a wide range of stakeholders. This work continues.The sector reports recently shared with Members and Peers form part of this work. Amongst other things, they contain factual information describing each sector and a summary of sector views of the implications of UK withdrawal.

British Irish Chamber of Commerce

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what representations he has received from the British-Irish Chamber of Commerce on the recent agreement reached between the UK and the EU related to moving to phase two of the exit negotiations.

Mr Steve Baker: Ministers and officials from across the Government are consulting with a variety of business stakeholders, including the British-Irish Chamber of Commerce, to discuss their priorities and concerns as we design our future economic partnership with the EU.Details of Ministerial meetings are published in the Department’s Quarterly Transparency Returns, which are publicly available on GOV.UK.

Gibraltar: Trade Agreements

Mike Gapes: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, if he will ensure that any agreement in respect of the UK withdrawal from the EU does not extend to Spain an exclusive right to determine or veto the future commercial and trading status of Gibraltar between (a) UK and Gibraltar and (b) Gibraltar and the EU; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Robin Walker: As the Prime Minister has made clear and was set out in the Department for International Trade’s White Paper ‘Preparing for our future UK trade policy’, after we leave the EU the UK will operate an independent trade policy. It will be exclusively for the UK and Gibraltar to determine our future bilateral commercial and trading relationship. In terms of the UK’s and Gibraltar’s future relationship with the EU, these are subject to negotiations and we have been clear throughout that we are not going to exclude Gibraltar from our negotiations for either the implementation period or the agreement for the future.

Brexit

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what recent representations he has received from (a) key stakeholders and (b) individuals on (i) the appeal rights of people who are homeless, (ii) carers' rights, (iii) the rights of EU citizens who have married a UK citizen and (iv) the rights of UK citizens who have married a non-UK EU citizen.

Mr Robin Walker: Stakeholder engagement is a central element of our Department’s activities as we leave the EU. Ministers and officials from across Government have carried out extensive engagement with stakeholders, including on issues relating to citizens’ rights. We have delivered a deal on citizens’ rights that will provide EU citizens certainty about their rights going forward, and it means those living here before the UK’s withdrawal can stay. The Withdrawal Bill aims to maximise certainty for individuals and businesses about their legal rights and obligations as we leave the EU, and provides the basis for a smooth and orderly exit.

Brexit

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, whether he plans for a new regime for state aid and competition rules to be covered by a future deal between the UK and the EU.

Mr Robin Walker: The Government is aware that the EU negotiating mandate explicitly refers to state aid and competition in the context of any future trade agreement between the EU and UK. This future relationship is subject to negotiation. While the Government cannot speculate on outcomes at this stage, any future regime will be on the principles of open markets and fair competition.As the Prime Minister made clear in her speech in Florence the UK shares with the EU “the same set of fundamental beliefs; a belief in free trade, rigorous and fair competition, strong consumer rights, and that trying to beat other countries’ industries by unfairly subsidising one’s own is a serious mistake.”

Brexit

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of levels of expertise in respect of competition policy in officials engaged in negotiating the deal between the UK and the EU.

Mr Robin Walker: All departments are equipping themselves with the resources they need to get the best deal for the UK. The Department for Exiting the European Union is a fast-paced, dynamic Department at the heart of Whitehall leading on one of the biggest issues for this Government. It attracts the brightest and the best from across the Civil Service. We regularly review headcount to ensure we are appropriately staffed to deal with all aspects of our preparations for leaving the EU. The Department for Exiting the European Union now has over 600 staff based in the UK plus the expertise of over 120 officials in Brussels. DExEU staff range from policy advisors to lawyers and economists, and have come from a range of backgrounds with experience in vital fields relevant to our exit from the EU, including competition policy.

Brexit

Dr David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, whether his Department has held meetings with (a) the Legatum Institute and (b) Barnabus Reynolds/Politeia on market liberalisation to prepare for the UK leaving the EU.

Mr Robin Walker: Ministers from across Government are speaking with stakeholders from a variety of sectors, to understand their concerns and priorities regarding our EU exit. As part of this process, we have engaged with a range of think tanks.Details of Ministerial meetings are published in the Department’s Quarterly Transparency Returns, which are publicly available on GOV.UK.

Department for Exiting the European Union: Impact Assessments

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what estimate he has made of the time spent by officials in his Department compiling impact assessments on the UK leaving the EU; and on what date each such assessment was started.

Mr Steve Baker: Impact Assessments, typically related to specific new primary legislation before Parliament, are narrowly defined. For example, the Government laid an impact assessment alongside the European Union (Withdrawal) Bill, which can be found on our website.Civil servants conduct any Impact Assessments related to legislation as business as usual. Our broader analysis continues.



EU (Withdrawal) Bill - Impact Assessment
(PDF Document, 156.15 KB)

Department for Exiting the European Union: Departmental Responsibilities

Deidre Brock: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, who was present at each roundtable discussion listed in the Ministerial Meetings section of his Department's Transparency Data for July to September 2017.

Mr Steve Baker: Details of Ministerial and senior official meetings are published in the Department’s Quarterly Transparency Returns, which are made publicly available on GOV.UK.

Department for International Development

Pitcairn Islands: Overseas Aid

Sir Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how much money from the public purse has been spent on Pitcairn Island in each of the last five years; what projects that spending has been for; and what steps his Department is taking to ensure value for money is achieved.

Rory Stewart: DFID provides financial aid on an annual basis to support the provision of public services to meet the reasonable assistance needs of the people of Pitcairn (including health, education and securing sea access). Funding through financial aid provides the correct balance between direct engagement with Pitcairn government and HMG oversight to ensure value for money.Details of financial aid spend for the last five years are:  2012/13£2.884m2013/14£2.840m2014/15£2.990m2015/16£2.910m2016/17£3.475m Additionally the Foreign and Commonwealth Office will provide some financial support for the Marine Protection Area announced in 2016.

Department for International Development: Brexit

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what estimate he has made of the (a) amount of time and (b) resources that have been allocated to the production of impact assessments on the UK leaving the EU; and on what date work on those impact assessments started.

Rory Stewart: EU Exit is an all-of-government operation. The Department for International Development is doing detailed work with departments to prepare for Exit by understanding the risks and opportunities of leaving the EU and coordinating planning. Staff within the Europe and Trade for Development teams lead on providing advice to Ministers on EU Exit and exit-related issues. Members of staff across the Department also provide advice and analysis on EU Exit issues as required. Given the interactions between EU exit work and the Department’s other priorities, it would not be possible to give an accurate estimate of the time and resources that have been allocated to the production of impact assessments on the UK leaving the EU.Impact Assessments are typically related to specific new primary legislation before Parliament and are narrowly defined. Civil servants conduct any Impact Assessments related to legislation as business as usual. The Government laid an impact assessment alongside the European Union (Withdrawal) Bill, which can be found on our website. Our broader analysis continues.

Department for Education

Higher Education

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to Accelerated degrees: widening student choice in higher education, published on 11 December 2017,  what assessment she has made of the effect of her proposals for two-year university courses on the ability of students to seek part-time employment alongside studying to fund their living costs.

Anne Milton: Holding answer received on 08 January 2018



The impact of accelerated degree study on part-time working was evaluated by the Institute for Employment Studies as part of their literature review of current research on accelerated degrees. Although the authors noted concerns expressed by the NUS that accelerated study could prohibit students from part-time work, their assessment of current research data finds “no real difference in the level of part-time work undertaken during the summer period between those on accelerated programmes and those on traditional programmes”. The literature review is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/595637/Accelerated_Degrees_Literature_Review.pdf.

Students: Loans

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to table 1.9 of Autumn Budget 2017, what estimate he has made of level of Resource Accounting and Budgeting required for undergraduate part-time student loans as a result of the rise in tuition fees to £9250 and the proposed changes to the student loan repayment threshold.

Anne Milton: Holding answer received on 08 January 2018



The Resource Accounting and Budgeting (RAB) charge for fee loans for part-time higher education undergraduate students in 2017/18 is estimated to be around 40%, following the decisions to increase the repayment threshold for post-2012 student loans to £25,000 from April 2018 and to freeze tuition fees in the 2018/19 academic year at the same level as in 2017/18. The government subsidy, represented by the RAB charge, is a conscious investment in young people and the long-term skills capacity of the economy.

Animal Welfare: Education

Sir Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will introduce animal welfare education into the national curriculum; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Gibb: The new national curriculum was introduced in September 2014 and focuses on the essential knowledge that must be taught, allowing teachers to take greater control over the wider curriculum in schools and how it is taught. The national curriculum is compulsory in maintained schools, and academies and free schools can use it as a benchmark. As part of the science national curriculum primary pupils will be taught about the basic needs of animals for survival including appropriate habitat, food, water and air. Schools should also teach pupils how to take care of animals taken from their local environment and the need to return them safely after study. Schools have the freedom to teach topics such as animal welfare as part of subjects such as Personal, Social, Health and Economic education.

Mature Students

Alex Sobel: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to her Department's report, Unlocking Talent, Fulfilling Potential: a plan for improving social mobility through education, published in December 2017, Cm 9541, what plans she has to extend the National Collaborative Outreach Programme to widen the participation of people aged 21 and above in higher education.

Alex Sobel: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to her Department's report, Unlocking Talent, Fulfilling Potential: a plan for improving social mobility through education, published in December 2017, Cm 9541, what funding will be allocated to support widening participation in higher education of people aged 21 and above.

Anne Milton: Holding answer received on 08 January 2018



Government wants to make sure that higher education is available to all who wish to pursue it and this includes mature students. That is why, in our last guidance to the Director of Fair Access, we asked that institutions take into account the needs of older learners and make more effort to attract mature students as part of their Access Agreements. Higher Education Providers expect to spend around £860 million for 2018/19 on activity to widen participation. In addition, the government is looking into ways of promoting and supporting a wide variety of flexible and part-time ways of learning which should have the effect of making higher education a more attractive option to mature students. For instance, we are consulting on how we make accelerated degrees more widely available. These shorter degree courses offer various benefits to all students - including lower costs, more intensive study, and a quicker entry or return to the workplace. We have also taken steps to help those wanting to study part-time, often a mode of study preferred by mature students, by offering financial support in the form of loans to cover fees and maintenance costs.   The National Collaborative Outreach Programme (NCOP) is targeted at 18 year olds to support the government goal in doubling the proportion of young people from disadvantaged backgrounds in higher education by 2020. The NCOP targets those areas of the country where progression into higher education is both low overall and lower than expected given typical GCSE attainment rates in order to address a potential lack of aspiration among school leavers. A key element of the NCOP is the partnership between universities and schools.

Pupils: Per Capita Costs

Lucy Frazer: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much funding from the public purse has been allocated to schools in England per pupil in real terms in (a) 1990, (b)  2000 and (c) 2017.

Nick Gibb: School funding per pupil in cash terms was £2,938 per pupil in 2000-01 and £4,618 per pupil in 2017-18. The Government publishes GDP deflators that can be used to understand the impact of inflation over time. These are available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/gdp-deflators-at-market-prices-and-money-gdp-march-2017-spring-budget-2017. These figures are not directly comparable as the figure for 2000-01 also includes funding provided for early years. In 1990 school funding was included within the local government funding settlement. For this reason, the funding information for 1990 is not readily available. Analysis by the Institute for Fiscal Studies has shown that per pupil spending in schools in 2020 is set to be at least 70 per cent higher in real terms than it was in 1990:https://www.ifs.org.uk/publications/8937.

Ministry of Justice

Prisons: Drugs

Dr Paul Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department is taking to protect prison officers from exposure to new psychoactive substances.

Mr Sam Gyimah: HMPPS’ priority is to reduce any potential use or secondary exposure to Psychoactive Substances (PS) by drug supply prevention, reduction and detection. Intelligence and security procedures are available to activate strategies including lock-down searches and the use of dog teams to detect and reduce supply. Co-operation and liaison with police and CPS at local and national level is also ongoing, to work on prosecutions and supply intelligence. In October health and safety guidance was published which brought together existing procedures for the control of exposure to all airborne contaminants in prisons. In order to establish an evidence-base for reported exposures to staff, experts have been appointed to undertake air sampling to identify and assess concentrations, if any, of PS in prison wings and this program is due to start as a pilot in one prison in January 2018. HMPPS continues to monitor and investigate apparent adverse effects of PS exposure and to seek to ensure that methods to reduce supply are fully implemented.

Ministry of Defence

Syria: Military Intervention

Alex Sobel: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what communication his Department had the United States Visiting Forces before F-22 Stealth bombers from RAF Lakenheath were used to intercept Russian flights over Syria on 19 October 2017.

Mark Lancaster: No F-22 aircraft from RAF Lakenheath were used to intercept Russian flights over Syria on 19 October 2017; there was therefore no communication between the United States Visiting Forces and the Ministry of Defence on this matter.

Navy: Reserve Forces

Mrs Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 20 December 2017 to Question 116853,  what the source of the recruitment budget is for the Maritime reserve.

Mark Lancaster: The Naval Service plan their requirement for Reserve personnel alongside their Regular personnel to achieve the optimum mix of skills that will deliver Naval outputs. The budget for this is set through the manpower planning process and is funded as part of the Service's core budget.

Army: Reserve Forces

Mrs Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the average size is in terms of personnel of an Army Reserve (a) Company or equivalent and (b) battalion or equivalent; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Lancaster: The size of Army units depends on their nature and function and, for example, can range from around 200 to over 600 in size. The average manpower liability for an Army Reserve company or equivalent is around 100 and battalion or equivalent is around 400.

RAF Volunteer Reserve

Mrs Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 19 December 2017 to Question 116996, how many and what proportion of the strength of the Royal Auxiliary Air Force were on Full Time Reserve Contracts in (a) April 2013, (b) April 2014, (c) April 2015, (d) April 2016 and (e) April 2017; what proportion of people on such contracts in each such April were (i)  full and (ii) home commitment; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Lancaster: The number of Royal Auxiliary Air Force (RAuxAF) personnel on Full Time Reserve (FTRS) Contracts at 1 April for each year since 2013 are given below and have been rounded:   20132014201520162017RAuxAF Total1,5201,7202,2202,5402,730FTRS Total160190250260300FTRS(Full Commitment)00101010FTRS(Limited Commitment)130160220230270FTRS(Home Commitment)2020202020

RAF Volunteer Reserve

Mrs Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 19 December 2017 to Question 116988, how many and what proportion of the strength of the Royal Auxiliary Air Force were on Additional Duties Contracts in (a) April 2013, (b) April 2014, (c) April 2015, (d) April 2016 and (e) April 2017; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Lancaster: The number of members of the Royal Auxiliary Air Force on Additional Duties Contracts at 1 April from 2013 onwards is given below.  201320142015201620171020202020

Navy: Reserve Forces

Mrs Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many members of the Maritime Reserve qualified for their annual bounty in (a) 2012-13, (b) 2013-14, (c) 2014-15 and (d) 2015-16; how many members in each such year were in the (i) Royal Naval Reserve and (ii) Royal Marine Reserve; and if he will make a statement.

Mrs Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many members of the Maritime Reserve who received their annual bounties in (a) April 2013, (b) April 2014, (c) April 2015 and (d) April 2016 qualified for (i) Year 1, (ii) Year 2, (iii) Year 3 and 4 and (iv) Year 5; how much in each such April were (A) Royal Naval Reserve and (B) Royal Marine Reserve; and if he will make a statement.

Mrs Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the strength of the Maritime Reserve was in (a) April 2016, (b) April 2015, (c) April 2014, (d) April 2013 and (e) April 2012; what number and proportion in each year were (i) Phase 1, (ii) Phase 2 and (iii) not yet trained; what proportion of each such category were (A) Royal Naval and (B) Royal Marine Reserve; and if he will make a statement.

Mrs Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many and what proportion of the strength of the Maritime Reserve were on Full Time Reserve Contracts in (a) April 2013, (b) April 2014, (c) April 2015, (d) April 2016 and (e) April 2017; how many of those people in each such year were (i) home and (ii) full commitment; of those how many were (A) Royal Naval and (B) Royal Marine Reserve; and if he will make a statement.

Mrs Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many and what proportion of the strength of the Maritime Reserve were on Additional Duties Contracts in (a) April 2013, (b) April 2014, (c) April 2015, (d) April 2016 and (e) April 2017; how many in each such year were (i) Royal Naval and (ii) Royal Marine Reserve; and if he will make a statement.

Mrs Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many of the Maritime Reserve strength in (a) April 2013, (b) April 2014, (c) April 2015, (d) April 2016 and (e) 2017 were ex-regulars on the Regular to Reserve bonus scheme; of those people in each such year how many were (i) Royal Naval Reserve and (ii) Royal Marine Reserve; and if he will make a statement.

Mrs Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the average size of a ships company is in the Royal Naval Reserve.

Mrs Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the average size is of a Royal Marine Reserve (a) Company and (b) Battalion.

Mrs Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the average number of days is a Royal Naval Reservist needs to serve to qualify for their bounty.

Mrs Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the average number of days is that a Royal Marine Reservist needs to serve to qualify for their bounty.

Mrs Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many Reserve Service Days were undertaken by the Maritime Reserve in (a) 2012-13, (b) 2013-14, (c) 2014-2015, (d) 2015-16 and (e) 2016-2017; and for each of those years how many of those days were undertaken by the (i) Royal Naval Reserve and (ii) Royal Marine Reserve.

Mrs Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the average number of Reserve Service Days committed to recruitment by the Maritime Reserve was for (a) Individual Reservists, (b) Ships Companies, (c) Royal Marine Reserve companies and (d) Royal Marine Reserve battalions in (i) 2012-13, (ii) 2013-14, (iii) 2014-15, (iv) 2015-16 and (v) 2016-17; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Lancaster: It will take some time to collate and analyse the relevant information to respond to your questions. I will write to the hon. Member with a substantive response once this process is complete.

Royal Auxiliary Air Force: Recruitment

Mrs Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the average number of Reserve Service Days committed to recruitment by the Royal Air Force Auxiliary was for (a) Individual Reservists and (b) Squadrons in (i) 2012-13, (ii) 2013-14, (iii) 2014-15, (iv) 2015- 16 and (v) 2016-17; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Lancaster: The information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Department for Work and Pensions

Department for Work and Pensions: Regulation

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the title was of each set of regulations introduced by his Department in each month since May 2010; which of those regulations have been (a) subject to the (i) one in one out and (ii) one in two out procedure and (b) (i) revoked and (ii) amended; and what the net cost to (A) the public purse; and (B) business of those regulations is.

Caroline Dinenage: The changes to regulations affecting business during the 2010-15 Parliament are recorded in Statements of New Regulation that were published every six months. These are available on https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/one-in-two-out-statement-of-new-regulation. For the 2015-17 Parliament, the Government will shortly publish its final report on the savings to business delivered during that Parliament. For the current Parliament, the Government is committed to maintaining a proportionate approach to regulation to enable business growth while maintaining public protections. This will be monitored through the target that the Government is required to set under the Small Business, Enterprise and Employment Act 2015.

Department for Work and Pensions: Regulation

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what processes his Department has put in place to (a) monitor, (b) collate cost information on, (c) review and (d) respond to requests to amend or revoke regulations introduced by his Department.

Caroline Dinenage: New regulation with an impact on business is subject to a review clause, and a review of this regulation will be required by a date specified in each piece of legislation. The Department responds to any requests for regulation to be revoked or amended on a case by case basis. Information on costs is recorded in Impact Assessments where there is a significant impact on business.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Food: Waste

Margaret Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the amount of surplus food disposed of by supermarkets in the UK each year and the quantity of such food that was fit for human consumption at the time of disposal.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: The Waste and Resources Action Programme estimates that in 2014/15 there were 270,000 tonnes of avoidable food waste in the grocery supply chain fit for human consumption. 47,000 tonnes of this was redistributed to feed people and 37,000 tonnes was used to produce animal feed. 180,000 tonnes went to waste (of which on average around 40% went to anaerobic digestion and other recycling options, 40% for energy recovery and 20% to land spreading). On 21st December the Secretary of State announced that we will set up a new fund through the WRAP to ensure charities get additional resources to help redistribute food to those who need it rather than letting it go to waste. WRAP will make £0.5 million available to charities and other organisations. The new Food Waste Reduction Fund will provide grants to finance specific projects: fridges or vehicles, IT systems and software, or for training staff and volunteers about food safety skills.

Circuses: Animals

Dr David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when his Department plans to bring forward legislative proposals to ban the use of animals in circuses.

George Eustice: I refer the Hon. Gentleman to the response to PQ 117047, answered on 7 December 2017.

Animal Welfare: Norfolk

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether the Animal and Plant Health Agency has carried out its investigation into Hall Farm in Necton Norfolk; and what evidence it plans to take account of before concluding its findings.

George Eustice: The Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) takes the welfare of all farmed animals very seriously and every substantive complaint received at APHA is evaluated and investigated. All farms need to comply with the Animal Welfare Act 2006. APHA does not release the finding of inspections to third parties as this would be a breach of the Data Protection Act 1998.

Pigs: Animal Welfare

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to increase compliance with the ban on the routine tail docking of pigs; what estimate his Department has made of the proportion of pigs which have been tail-docked in the last 12 months; what steps farmers are required to take to prevent tail biting by pigs before resorting to tail docking.

George Eustice: We recognise the need to improve compliance with the ban on routine tail docking. We are currently preparing a new statutory pig welfare code which will strengthen the guidance on how to comply with the legal requirements in relation to tail docking and environmental enrichment and provide enhanced guidance on how to identify, manage and prevent tail biting. The new code will incorporate EU Commission recommendations which are intended to improve compliance with these provisions. All pig keepers will have to be familiar with the new code. The docking of pigs’ tails should only be used as a last resort, after improvements to the pigs’ environment and management, including the provision of environmental enrichment, have proved ineffectual and there is evidence to show that injury to pigs’ tails by biting has occurred. When carrying out an inspection of a pig unit, the Animal and Plant Health Agency evaluates the provision of enrichment material and whether pigs are routinely tail-docked without a justifiable reason, and will apply breaches where non-compliances are found. Preventing tail biting is complex, with multiple causes associated with outbreaks. AHDB Pork’s summary report on Real Welfare data: “Baseline report: 2013-2016 Measuring welfare outcomes in pigs”, published earlier this year https://pork.ahdb.org.uk/media/273110/real-welfare-report-2017.pdf found that 70% of pigs’ tails were docked.

Agriculture: Cooperation

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what further support he plans to provide for agricultural cooperation; and if he will make a statement.

George Eustice: Cooperation is a powerful way for farmers and growers to improve their negotiating power, share machinery, labour, storage and other resources, and access knowledge and skills from others. The latest CLA survey of its farmer members shows that nine in ten respondents collaborate in some way; largely to make their businesses more successful and access new opportunities. We meet regularly with Cooperatives UK to discuss the potential for further collaboration in the agricultural sector, and we have backed the formation of formal Producer Organisations (POs). From 1 January 2018, changes to EU agricultural rules as a result of the ‘Omnibus’ regulation will strengthen the rights of POs and encourage large scale collaboration in all sectors.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Regulation

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the title was of each set of regulations introduced by his Department in each month since May 2010; which of those regulations have been (a) subject to the (i) one in one out and (ii) one in two out procedure and (b) (i) revoked and (ii) amended; and what the net cost to (A) the public purse; and (B) business of those regulations is.

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what processes his Department has put in place to (a) monitor, (b) collate cost information on, (c) review and (d) respond to requests to amend or revoke regulations introduced by his Department.

George Eustice: The changes to regulations affecting business during the 2010-15 Parliament are recorded in Statements of New Regulation that were published every six months. These are available on https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/one-in-two-out-statement-of-new-regulation. For the 2015-17 Parliament, the Government will shortly publish its final report on the savings to business delivered during that Parliament. For the current Parliament, the Government is committed to maintaining a proportionate approach to regulation to enable business growth while maintaining public protections. This will be monitored through the target that the Government is required to set under the Small Business, Enterprise and Employment Act 2015.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: EU Law

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, which EU (a) Directives, (b) Regulations and (c) other legislation affecting his Department he is planning to propose (i) revocation and (ii) amendment of after the UK leaves the EU.

George Eustice: The European Union (Withdrawal) Bill will retain EU law as it applies in the UK on the day we leave. We expect between 800 and 1000 statutory instruments will be required across Government to correct this retained EU law to ensure the statute book functions appropriately outside the EU. All Departments are engaged in this process. Once we leave the EU, we will make our own laws. As we leave the EU, the Government’s EU withdrawal legislative programme is designed to cater for the full range of negotiated and non-negotiated outcomes.

Department for Communities and Local Government

Housing: Ombudsman

Jim Fitzpatrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what the average waiting time was  for complaints to the Independent Housing Ombudsman to be investigated.

Alok Sharma: The Independent Housing Ombudsman publishes annual reports at the below link:www.housing-ombudsman.org.uk/about-hos/overview/publications/annual-reports-and-financial-statements/#.Wk35Af7Fam4

Scotland Office

Royal Bank of Scotland

Ged Killen: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, pursuant to his oral contribution on 6 December 2017, Official Report, column, 1014, what the outcome was of his discussions with RBS on bank branches across Scotland; and if he will make a statement.

David Mundell: The Royal Bank of Scotland’s decision to close bank branches are commercial decisions for the Royal Bank of Scotland. However, the impact on communities must be understood, considered and mitigated. I met RBS chief executive Les Matheson on 7 December to discuss their decision and I made clear the concerns that had been raised by MPs and communities about their plans.

Scotland Office: Social Mobility

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what steps his Department has taken to improve social mobility in each of the last seven years.

David Mundell: They key to social mobility is an economy that works for everyone. The Office of the Secretary of State for Scotland works with a range of stakeholders, including the Scottish Government, the Scottish Parliament, and with departments across Whitehall, in delivering UK Government policies that ensure we build that economy. Whether that’s by supporting economic growth and investment in Scottish industries through City and Region Deals, delivering a modern Industrial Strategy, supporting Scotland’s pivotal oil and gas and renewables sectors, boosting international trade through the GREAT Britain campaign, or by investing in superfast broadband in Scotland. The actions taken by the office in each of the last seven years are set out in its annual reports.

Royal Bank of Scotland

Ian Blackford: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, when he last met with the management of the Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) and whether the proposed closure of RBS branches was discussed at that meeting.

Ian Blackford: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, if he will make representations to the Royal Bank of Scotland to publish all the data it holds on branch usage.

Ian Blackford: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what information his Department holds on bank branch usage by consumers at branches planned for closure by the Royal Bank of Scotland.

David Mundell: The Royal Bank of Scotland’s decision to close bank branches and publication of its data are commercial decisions for the Royal Bank of Scotland. However, the impact on communities must be understood, considered and mitigated where possible. The industry’s Access to Banking Standard, launched in May 2017, commits banks to ensure personal and business customers are better informed about branch closures and the reasons for them closing, along with the options they have locally to continue to access banking services, including specialist assistance for customers who need more help. The Access to Banking Standard is monitored and enforced by the independent Lending Standards Board. At Autumn Budget 2017, the Chancellor also wrote to the Post Office and UK Finance to ask them to raise public awareness of the banking services available at the Post Office for individuals and SMEs. I met RBS chief executive Les Matheson on 7 December to discuss their decision and I made clear the concerns that had been raised by MPs and communities about their plans.

Scotland Office: Official Hospitality

Deidre Brock: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, pursuant to the Answer of 14 December 2017 to Question 118330 on Scotland Office: official hospitality and the Answer of 19 December 2017 to Question 119750 on Scotland Office: official hospitality, whether he will list the events in each year.

David Mundell: Events included in the spend reported in questions 118330 and 119750 are as follows: Armed Forces ReceptionAthletes ReceptionBeating the Retreat DinnerBeating the Retreat ReceptionBurns SupperBusiness Roundtable MeetingsCivil Service LiveDover House Lecture EventEdinburgh International Film Festival ReceptionEdinburgh Festivals ReceptionJoint Management Board MeetingLGBT History Month ReceptionModerator (Church of Scotland) Lunch EventSt Andrews Day Taste of Scotland EventPoints of Light Award ReceptionRoyal Highland ShowTrooping the Colour ReceptionWestern Isles Business Stakeholder Dinner

Northern Ireland Office

Northern Ireland Office: Social Mobility

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what steps his Department has taken to improve social mobility in each of the last seven years.

Chloe Smith: Many of the policy areas linked to social mobility in Northern Ireland are devolved matters. But tackling social mobility is one of the UK Government’s key priorities. We want all young people, regardless of their background or where they grow up, to get the best start in life and have every chance to go as far as their talents and ambition will take them. The UK Government is helping the people of Northern Ireland by keeping taxes low, freezing fuel duty for the eight successive year and increasing the National Living Wage again from April 2018, delivering a £600 annual pay-rise to full-time workers in Northern Ireland. Moreover, we have increased again the personal allowance for income tax and higher rate threshold which will benefit over 745,000 people in Northern Ireland who will have gained by an average of £182, compared to 2015-16. Furthermore, there are 41,000 more people in work in Northern Ireland than in 2010 and unemployment is at 3.9%, down from 7.1% in 2010. And this Government will continue to deliver on its commitments to continue to support economic growth in Northern Ireland, including starting negotiations for a Belfast City Deal.

Marriage: Northern Ireland

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what the dates were of the meetings he has held with the (a) Northern Ireland Equality Commission and (b) the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission to discuss the recognition of same sex marriages in Northern Ireland; and if he will make a statement.

Chloe Smith: Holding answer received on 08 January 2018



The previous Secretary of State had not met the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission or the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland to discuss the recognition of same sex marriage in Northern Ireland. The Department has been focused on securing a restoration of the devolved institutions precisely so that important decisions relating to issues such as same sex marriage are considered by locally accountable politicians.

Northern Ireland Office: Regulation

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what the title was of each set of regulations introduced by his Department in each month since May 2010; which of those regulations have been (a) subject to the (i) one in one out and (ii) one in two out procedure and (b) (i) revoked and (ii) amended; and what the net cost to (A) the public purse; and (B) business of those regulations is.

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what processes his Department has put in place to (a) monitor, (b) collate cost information on, (c) review and (d) respond to requests to amend or revoke regulations introduced by his Department.

Chloe Smith: The changes to regulations affecting business during the 2010-15 Parliament are recorded in Statements of New Regulation that were published every six months. These are available on:https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/one-in-two-out-statement-of-new-regulation. For the 2015-17 Parliament, the Government will shortly publish its final report on the savings to business delivered during that Parliament. For the current Parliament, the Government is committed to maintaining a proportionate approach to regulation to enable business growth while maintaining public protections. This will be monitored through the target that the Government is required to set under the Small Business, Enterprise and Employment Act 2015.

Northern Ireland Office: EU Law

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, which EU (a) Directives, (b) Regulations and (c) other legislation affecting his Department he is planning to propose (i) revocation and (ii) amendment of after the UK leaves the EU.

Chloe Smith: The European Union (Withdrawal) Bill will retain EU law as it applies in the UK on exit day. We expect between 800 and 1000 statutory instruments will be required across Government to correct this retained EU law to ensure the statute book functions appropriately outside the EU. All Departments are engaged in this process. Once we leave the EU, we will make our own laws. As we leave the EU, the Government’s EU exit legislative programme is designed to cater for the full range of negotiated and non-negotiated outcomes.

Department for International Trade

Trade Agreements

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, pursuant to the Answer of 19 December 2017 to Question 118624, on trade agreements, if he will list the organisations that submitted responses.

Greg Hands: Holding answer received on 08 January 2018



Following the publication of the Trade White Paper: Preparing for our future UK trade policy, we received 150 responses providing feedback on specific questions posed in the White Paper. In addition, we received a number of responses (7429) as part of a Civil Society campaign. Responses to the questions have been analysed and collated into themes around the key principles as set out in the White Paper. We have made public a summary of the responses we received which was published on 5 January. Views are not attributed to individual respondents or groups of respondents. The Response can be found at:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/trade-white-paper-preparing-for-our-future-uk-trade-policy-government-response

Trade Agreements

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, pursuant to the Answer of 19 December 2017 to Question 118985, on trade agreements, how many trades unions he has met with; and how many times he has met with each of those trades unions.

Greg Hands: Holding answer received on 08 January 2018



The Department for International Trade has met with a number of trade unions on a range of occasions since its formation, at Ministerial and official level. These meetings covered a variety of topics. As part of our commitment to transparency, we publish quarterly records of Ministerial meetings, available on the Department for International Trade’s .gov.uk website.

Department of Health

Social Services: Garston and Halewood

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of funding for social care in Garston and Halewood constituency.

Jackie Doyle-Price: The information requested is not centrally held. Councils in England will receive an additional £2 billion for social care over the next three years, announced in March 2017. Government has given councils access to up to £9.25 billion more dedicated funding for social care over the next three years, as a result of measures introduced since 2015. This means that overall, councils are able to increase spending on adult social care in real terms in each of the next three years. Funding in the Garston and Halewood constituency area has increased this year. Information on social care funding for Liverpool City Council and Knowsley Metropolitan Borough Council is set out below but these two local authorities cover an area larger than the Garston and Halewood constituency. Liverpool Adult Social Care budget in 2017-18: £177 million- In 2017-18 Liverpool has planned to increase their adult social care budget by 10.5 % in cash terms compared to the 2016-17 budget; and- In 2017-18 Liverpool chose to raise precept by 3%. Knowsley Adult Social Care budget in 2017-18: £59 million- In 2017-18 Knowsley has planned to increase their adult social care budget by 8.9% in cash terms compared to the 2016-17 budget; and- In 2017-18 Knowsley chose to raise precept by 3%.

Malnutrition

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to reduce the number of hospital admissions as a result of malnutrition within the Cheshire and Merseyside Sustainability and Transformation Plan area.

Steve Brine: Ensuring people, particularly the vulnerable and the elderly, are getting an adequate diet is a priority for this Government. We have given £500,000 to Age UK’s Malnutrition Taskforce to reduce malnutrition among older people and will continue to train all health staff so early action can be taken. Through the Healthy Start programme, the Government provides a nutritional safety net to hundreds of thousands of pregnant women, families and children under four from low income households. Individual local authorities and clinical commissioning groups within the Cheshire and Merseyside Sustainability and Transformation Partnership are responsible for preventing and treating malnutrition in their local areas. NHS England published ‘Guidance - Commissioning excellent nutrition and hydration 2015-2018’ in October 2015 to improve the delivery and commissioning of excellent nutrition and hydration care in acute services and the community.

Vitamin D

Mrs Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 14 November 2017 to Question 11556, what plans his Department has to promote the uptake of a daily supplement containing 10mcg of vitamin D during the autumn and winter months.

Steve Brine: There are no plans to further promote the use of vitamin D supplements. Advice on taking vitamin D supplements, including both when it might be needed and highlighting the risk of taking too much, is available on the NHS Choices website:https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/vitamins-and-minerals/vitamin-d/

Vitamin D: Deficiency Diseases

Mrs Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many people have been admitted to hospital with a primary or secondary diagnosis of vitamin D deficiency in each (a) clinical commissioning group and (b) parliamentary constituency in the last 10 years; and if he will make a statement.

Steve Brine: The information is not available in the format requested. Instead we have provided counts of finished admission episodes with a primary or secondary diagnosis of vitamin D deficiency in each clinical commissioning group and parliamentary constituency, 2007-08 to 2016-17. This information is shown in the attached tables.



PQ120714 attached table
(Excel SpreadSheet, 88.57 KB)

Healthy Start Scheme

Mrs Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment has been made of the effect of the Healthy Start scheme on levels of malnutrition among children.

Jackie Doyle-Price: The Government has provided nutritional support to certain parts of the population for many years. We are taking a number of steps to prevent cases of malnutrition and ensure that people, particularly the young, the vulnerable and the elderly, are getting an adequate diet. Healthy Start helps to encourage a healthy diet for more than 332,000 pregnant women, families and children under four from low income households. Healthy Start entitles beneficiaries to one £3.10 voucher every week to spend on milk, fruit, and vegetables. They are also eligible for free Healthy Start vitamins. The Government recommitted to the Healthy Start scheme in the 2016 plan ‘Childhood Obesity: A Plan for Action’, showing that improving the health and diets of children is high on Governmental priorities.

Carers: Young People

Dr Lisa Cameron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 22 November 2017 to Question 112819 on Carers: Young People, what the programme of work is for the cross-Government programme and whether it will include the support for young carers.

Jackie Doyle-Price: Details of the Government’s programme of work to support carers, including young carers, over the next two years will be set out in an action plan on carers. The action plan will be published ahead of the publication of the Green Paper on care and support for older people.

Tobacco

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, for what reasons the paragraphs entitled (a) Inputting evidence to the development of the next tobacco control plan and (b) Undertaking activity to support effective communication of new regulations under the revised Tobacco Products Directive and the introduction of plain standardised packaging were removed from the draft 2016-17 grant agreement between his Department and Action on Smoking and Health.

Steve Brine: The two deliverables were removed as they were complete. It was agreed that activity would focus on addressing inequalities in smoking rates experienced by many disadvantaged groups in society and supporting local and national stakeholders to implement the tobacco control plan commitments.

Mental Health Services

Ian Lavery: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate he has made of the proportion of the total healthcare budget that is spent on mental health provision.

Jackie Doyle-Price: The Mental Health Five Year Forward View Dashboard reports that mental health spend represented 12.7% of the overall allocations made to clinical commissioning groups in 2016/17.The Dashboard is available at:www.england.nhs.uk/mental-health/taskforce/imp/mh-dashboard/

Suicide: Health Services

Ian Lavery: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the follow-up process is for a patient admitted to hospital for attempted suicide.

Jackie Doyle-Price: We expect National Health Service providers to follow evidence-based best practice set out by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence for the treatment of someone who presents at hospital for self-harm, including attempted suicide. Self-harm in over 8s: short-term management and prevention of recurrence (2004) is available at:https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/cg16The guidance states that people who present at hospital for self-harm should be offered an initial psychosocial assessment to determine their need, risk and mental capacity. Decisions to either refer a person for further assessment and/or treatment or to discharge the person should be based on the assessment of needs and risks. If a person is temporarily admitted to hospital for self-harm, a further psychosocial assessment should be undertaken after admission and a clinical decision made whether to refer the person for further mental health assessment and/or treatment.

Diabetes: Medical Equipment

Paul Girvan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether his Department plans to introduce automatic insulin delivery devices for people who live with diabetes; and if he will make a statement.

Steve Brine: Clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) are primarily responsible for commissioning diabetes services. In doing so, CCGs need to ensure that the services they provide are fit for purpose, reflect the needs of the local population, are based on the available evidence, and take into account national guidelines. This would apply to automatic insulin delivery devices, which would need to be both licensed and assessed for clinical and cost-effectiveness.

Anaemia: Children and Older People

Lee Rowley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to prevent the increase in iron deficiency anaemia, particularly among children and older people.

Steve Brine: Public Health England’s Eatwell Guide, the nation’s healthy eating model, is designed to ensure dietary recommendations are met. The Eatwell Guide was distributed to health professionals when it was launched through the British Medical Journal, Dietetics Today and targeted articles. The Eatwell Guide includes a variety of iron rich foods including fortified cereals, red meat, vegetables, nuts, eggs and fish.The diagnosis and treatment of iron deficiency anaemia is the responsibility of general practitioners using their professional judgement, supported by relevant guidance, to arrange the appropriate tests and investigations. It is recommended that health professionals be aware of the increased risk of iron deficiency anaemia in high risk groups including women of reproductive age and older adults. Those with signs and symptoms suggestive of iron deficiency anaemia should receive appropriate clinical assessment and advice, including dietary advice on how to increase their iron intakes or iron supplements if required.A range of guidance on the testing and treatment of all types’ anaemia is available from sources including the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence Clinical Knowledge Summaries website and NHS Choices. These can be found via the links below: https://cks.nice.org.uk/anaemia-iron-deficiency www.nhs.uk/conditions/iron-deficiency-anaemia/

Nutrition

Andrew Percy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department has taken to extend beyond 2018 the NHS England guidance on commissioning excellent nutrition and hydration; and if he will ensure that nutrition is prioritised for patients who need it to help manage long-term conditions and comorbidity.

Andrew Percy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what plans NHS England has to consult (a) the British Association of Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition (b) the British Dietetic Association and (c) other organisations on guidance for commissioning nutrition and hydration services in 2018.

Steve Brine: The NHS England guidance ‘Commissioning Excellent Nutrition and Hydration (2015-2018)’ supports commissioners to develop strategies and address issues related to improvements in delivery and commissioning of nutrition and hydration needs in acute services and the community. The guidance has been developed in conjunction with key partners including the British Dietetic Association and the British Association for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition. NHS England has no plans to issue any further guidance at this time. Commissioners will be expected to continue to give due regard to the existing guidance, which remains relevant.

Women and Equalities

Gender Recognition

Tonia Antoniazzi: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, pursuant to the Answer of 15 December 2017 to Question 117778, on gender recognition, what steps her Department has taken to ensure the correct application of the Gender Recognition Act 2004 in the workplace.

Anne Milton: We will soon launch a broad consultation on amending this Act. The consultation will focus on making the process of legally changing gender less bureaucratic and intrusive for transgender people. We will engage with businesses and employers during the consultation to gain their views. As the Minister for Women and Equalities only acquired responsibility for the Gender Recognition Act on 16 November 2017 from the Ministry of Justice, no prior consideration had been made by the Department for Education. The Government Equalities Office, however, issued guidance on supporting transgender employers in the workplace in November 2015. This included a section on the Gender Recognition Act 2004. The Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service also recently updated its advice to employers on managing transgender staff.